Amaral Jewelry
THE 4C’S OF MOISSANITE
The traditional 4C model is a great tool to understand how a moissanites four main characteristics affect its price and appearance:
Moissanite Carat – Size
Gemstones have historically been measured by their weight in carats (CT), with 1.00 carat being equivalent to 200 milligrams. A 6.50 mm round brilliant diamond weighs 1.00 carat, while a moissanite of the same size (6.50mm) has an actual carat weight of approximately 0.88 CT or 1.00 CT DEW. The DEW (Diamond Equivalent Weight) is used to describe the carat weight of moissanite in comparison to diamonds. Although moissanite and diamonds have almost identical millimeter sizes, moissanite gemstones are slightly lighter due to their specific gravity of 3.22 grams per cubic centimeter. Therefore, when ordering by millimeter, moissanite can be more easily fitted into available settings. The size chart provided below shows the dimensions of our round cut moissanite gemstones, and converting millimeters to DEW makes it easy to compare our moissanite to traditional diamonds.
|
MOISSANITE SIZE |
DIAMOND EQUIVALENT WEIGHT (DEW) |
MOISSANITE SIZE |
DIAMOND EQUIVALENT WEIGHT (DEW) |
| 0.80 mm. | 0.0025 ct. | 7.00 mm. | 1.30 ct. |
| 1.00 mm. | 0.005 ct. | 7.30 mm. | 1.50 ct. |
| 1.10 mm. | 0.0067 ct. | 7.50 mm. | 1.67 ct. |
| 1.20 mm. | 0.009 ct. | 7.75 mm. | 1.75 ct. |
| 1.25 mm. | 0.01 ct. | 8.00 mm. | 2.00 ct. |
| 1.30 mm. | 0.01 ct. | 8.25 mm. | 2.11 ct. |
| 1.50 mm. | 0.015 ct. | 8.50 mm. | 2.43 ct. |
| 1.75 mm. | 0.02 ct. | 8.70 mm. | 2.50 ct. |
| 1.80 mm. | 0.025 ct. | 9.00 mm. | 2.75 ct. |
| 2.00 mm. | 0.03 ct. | 9.10 mm. | 3.00 ct. |
| 2.20 mm. | 0.04 ct. | 9.50 mm. | 3.35 ct. |
| 2.50 mm. | 0.06 ct. | 9.75 mm. | 3.61 ct. |
| 2.75 mm. | 0.08 ct. | 10.00 mm. | 3.87 ct. |
| 3.00 mm. | 0.10 ct. | 10.25 mm. | 4.16 ct. |
| 3.25 mm. | 0.14 ct. | 10.50 mm. | 4.41 ct. |
| 3.50 mm. | 0.17 ct. | 10.75 mm. | 4.57 ct. |
| 3.75 mm. | 0.21 ct. | 11.00 mm. | 4.91 ct. |
| 4.00 mm. | 0.25 ct. | 11.25 mm. | 5.49 ct. |
| 4.25 mm. | 0.28 ct. | 11.50 mm. | 5.85 ct. |
| 4.50 mm. | 0.36 ct. | 12.00 mm. | 6.84 ct. |
| 4.75 mm. | 0.44 ct. | 12.25 mm. | 7.26 ct. |
| 5.00 mm. | 0.50 ct. | 12.50 mm. | 7.36 ct. |
| 5.25 mm. | 0.56 ct. | 12.75 mm. | 7.52 ct. |
| 5.50 mm. | 0.66 ct. | 13.00 mm. | 8.51 ct. |
| 5.75 mm. | 0.75 ct. | 13.50 mm. | 9.53 ct. |
| 6.00 mm. | 0.84 ct. | 14.00 mm. | 10.49 ct. |
| 6.25 mm. | 0.93 ct. | 15.00 mm. | 12.89 ct. |
| 6.50 mm. | 1.00 ct. | 16.00 mm. | 16.06 ct. |
| 6.80 mm. | 1.25 ct. | 17.00 mm. | 18.00 ct. |
Colour
The colour grading scale for moissanite is identical to that used for diamonds. It begins with D (colourless) and descends the alphabet to Z, where the gemstone appears mostly yellow or brown. The tint of the colour gradually intensifies as you progress from one letter to the next (see picture below).
Clarity – “Purity”
Imperfections, ranging from blatantly obvious to barely noticeable, are present in all natural gemstones, even when viewed under 10X magnification. This is due to the way that they are formed in harsh environments by Mother Nature over millions of years. To replicate the fiery and brilliant moissanite gemstone, which is naturally rare, scientists and gemologists have undertaken the challenge of creating it in a laboratory setting, where the controlled conditions enable the creation of very pure and clean moissanite (see picture below).
Cut – The Sparkle Factor
Transforming a rough/uncut gemstone into its shiny final form requires a precise recipe that a gemstone cutter must follow. Every facet, angle, and proportion must balance perfectly to ensure the optimal light performance. It's more science than art. Unlike diamonds that come in various shapes and sizes, moissanites are laboratory-made to mimic and accelerate the natural "growth cycle" of this extremely rare gemstone. Therefore, there's no excuse or reason for a moissanite's cut grade to be anything but "Excellent." (see picture below).
